Review – Always on My Mind (The Sullivans #8) by Bella Andre

It’s time to say farewell to the Sullivan’s of San Francisco. Naughty has met her match and has finally found the love of her life. ~ Kitty, Guilty Pleasures

Description:
Lori “Naughty” Sullivan finally falls in love in ALWAYS ON MY MIND, the new book in Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling series about the Sullivan family.

After a tragic loss three years ago, Grayson Tyler left his life in New York City behind and started over in the rolling hills of the California coast. He’s convinced himself that all he’ll ever need again is the blue sky, a thousand acres of pasture, and the crashing waves of the ocean. Until one day, Lori Sullivan barges into his life and promptly blows his emotionless and solitary world to shreds, driving him crazy as only a woman nicknamed “Naughty” can. But will Lori be able to convince him that it’s safe to love her…and that forever isn’t actually out of reach?

 

It’s time to say farewell to the Sullivan’s of San Francisco. Naughty has met her match and has finally found the love of her life.

After finally seeing what kind of scum Victor is, Lori “Naughty” Sullivan runs out on the dance troupe and Victor and heads back to California. But, she can’t go home. She can’t face her family and the questions that they will have for her. She just wants to be alone, start a new life without dance and just “be”. After being told how wonderful Pescadero, CA is, she decides to head out there and see what it’s all about. A stop in the General Store leads her to a ranch that’s looking for a “Farmhand”. Well, what a change that would be – from dancer to farmhand. She couldn’t ask for anything better.

Grayson heard the tires, heard the squawking of the chickens and then watched as the car crashed into his fence post. Who could this be? Everyone knows that he does not want anyone on his farm – he’s a loner and made sure that everyone knew that. Enter a beautiful, brown-haired woman wearing white tights and a multi-colored sequined top that took his breath away and had him screaming about all the ruckus! Time to get rid of her, and fast. He doesn’t need a woman around to make his life complicated.

Well, of course, Naughty has other plans – she’s going to be his farmhand no matter what kind of person he is, no matter how mean and gruff he is, no matter how gorgeous he is. She’ll prove to him that she’s not just some pampered little girl, even if it means scrubbing his toilet, mucking the pig sty and chasing chickens! After losing his wife, he just wants peace and quiet and this woman would be nothing but trouble. But, after agreeing to a trial, giving her all the dirty jobs he could think of, being a mean, nasty son-of-a-bitch, Grayson finally gives up, gives in and gets what he’s wanted from the minute he laid eyes on Lori – her legs wrapped around his hips.

Yes, you gotta love “Naughty” and how she gives as good as she gets. Well, you kind of have to growing up one of eight with 6 brothers. But, everyone agrees, Naughty is one of a kind, a free-spirit with a mouth and temper that can rival the best. Now, all she has to do if figure out how to break through Grayson, to get him to let go of his past, to get him to love again. And, Grayson needs to come to terms with his feelings for Lori and how bad he really wants her. Once those two feats are accomplished, their lives could move forward – together – forever.

I had so many different emotions while reading “Always on My Mind”. I was melancholy when I started the book just knowing that Naughty was it for our Sullivan’s. But the storyline was unbelievable and made me tear up more than once. To watch Lori fall out of love with dancing and having Grayson fighting his feelings for her from the beginning was heart-wrenching. Yes, your heart breaks for Lori but you know, deep down, that she will come bouncing back one way or another. And, Grayson, what a wonderful, loving, generous, sweet man he turned out to be after he finally gave in to his feelings for her. And, the ending – well, there is no way I am giving that away! I will just say that Lori gets what she truly, truly deserved and, if you didn’t fall in love with Grayson before then, well you will now.

Ms. Andre, thank you so much for these wonderfully written, exciting and sexy series. I fell a little in love with each of the Sullivan men and absolutely adored all of the Sullivan woman. Mary Sullivan, our matriarch does deserve an HEA and I am so happy to see that you are going to tell her story. What a wonderful, warm human being she is – the mother that we all wished we had! As for your Epilogue, well, I cried like a baby. It was so very touching and moving as you started to introduce us to Rafe while saying good-bye to Marcus, Smith, Chase, Gabe, Zach, Ryan and Sophie (Nice) and all their significant others. I reminisced right with her remembering each of their stories.